Red Angel Reiasu 4: This is the Hour
by Mercury Amazon
Summary: Miaka and Key experience their first battle with Unit Aoi. (Rewritten)


RED ANGEL REIASU   
Episode 4: This Is the Hour   
Mercury Amazon 

_A beach side untouched by the seasons,_   
_Masked by darkness;_   
_What is it your profile gazes at?_   
_All people are burdened by something,_   
_But this spreading unease_   
_Just won't disappear._   
_For the sake of a future_   
_We know nothing about,_   
_Sometimes gaining, sometimes sacrificing,_   
_We keep heading towards that fleeting call._   
_Flying, gone,_   
_As if in a dream;_   
_the plummeting is within you._   
_Don't be afraid, should I be wounded,_   
_I'll surely be embracing this dear kindness._   


  


Miaka had a bit of difficulty adjusting to her armor. For one, it was fairly heavy, and for another, the wings were cumbersome. To keep her from unwittingly slicing up bystanders, Dr. Cain made them summonable. Of course, she had to learn to use them, which she did from Storm Eagle. This of course was awkward as hell. Sigma himself was not pleased that such effort was being wasted on a mere human. Despite his complaints though, Miaka eventually learned to fly. 

Sigma's office was near Dr. Cain's, and twice as impressive. For one, the massive Reploid did not have papers scattered all over his desk, nor did he have a secret liquor stash to worry about. He was seated behind said pristine desk when Dr. Akane walked in. 

"What is it you want, Unit Sigma? My time is limited." 

Sigma forced a civil tone. "Dr. Akane, I recently gained a new recruit. I believe you know her." 

"Get to the point." 

"Miaka Tendou," he said impatiently. "I assure you I am not wasting your time. I would like you to arrange something for me." 

"What?" 

"Miaka's squad, Unit Aoi, are about to head out on her first mission. I would like you to arrange for her to have a little accident." 

"You want me to kill her? You're talking like a Maverick." 

"You assume too much. I never said you should kill her. Look, Akane. I want her out of the Hunters and you want to her to see the 'truth' about us, correct?" 

"Correct." 

"Well, the way I see it, the best way to dissuade her is to traumatize her a bit. Let her have a minor battle injury. Let her armor fail or something. I'm sure that simpering idiot Agile will keep her alive." 

"I can arrange that," Akane said. "I want something in return." 

"And what might that be?" 

"I want you to isolate her from the Reploids, especially Agile. She's getting too attached, and it isn't helping her delusions. She needs human company, but until her so called friends are out of the picture, that is impossible." 

"I can have her banned from here." 

"That should do it. See that it happens." Akane turned and left, without another word. 

Sigma waited until she was out of earshot. "When the time comes," he muttered, "You die first."   


When the day came, Miaka and the rest of Unit Aoi were gathered, waiting for the order to dispatch. She glanced around nervously, looking for Agile or Zero. She found Key and moved toward him. He was taking in his surroundings impassively. 

"Hi, Key," she said. "You nervous?" 

"Not especially," he said. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" 

"Besides being cut in half or something like that?" 

"Been there, done that." 

"Really?" 

"Guy's name was King." 

"Oh, that... I forgot." 

"Don't worry about it. I've had my ass kicked plenty of times. What's one more?" 

"Yeah, it's easy for you to say that, but I'm not made of metal, you know." 

"That's what you have wings for." 

"I'm still worried. I'm not exactly combat material here." 

"Then why are you here?" Key asked. 

"Because... because I want to help. I have power and I should use it instead of hiding behind the Hunters like the rest of the humans. I mean, it is our lives you're fighting for. What kind of person would I be if I could help you but didn't?" 

"Point," Key said. "You'll do fine." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "No matter what happens, I believe you'll survive." 

"Well... thanks, I guess," she said. She kind of hated when Key started sounding cryptic and wise. But then again, at his age, it was only natural. Then again... whenever she looked at him, she got the definite sense he was hiding something. 

The Aoi commander, a Reploid name Luter Cadavann, issued the order to dispatch. Miaka and Key were swept up in a tide of rushing Hunters. They tried their best to stick together, with marginal success. Luther led them past the transport mechs, which Key at least found odd. They continued outside of the armored walls of Hunter Headquarters, out into the dead wasteland. 

Luther ordered them to break off in groups of four to search. Key and Miaka were grouped with Shinji and Rei, two other human hunters. Key took over. "Miaka, give us an aerial view," he ordered. "Shinji, watch our backs. Rei, stay with me." 

Miaka paused awkwardly. "Uh, Key? Can you give me a lift?" 

"What?" 

"I need you to throw me into the air," she said sheepishly. "I can't run fast enough to take off." 

"Fine." Key lifted her effortlessly and tossed her up, at least ten feet. She flapped like a madman and gained a bit of speed. She circled upward, as Storm had taught her. She tapped her helmet, and a red visor slid down over her eyes. 

"I don't see anything up here besides us," she reported. 

"Three Mavericks due east," Shinji reported. "There's a unit closer than us, though." 

"That's weird," Key said. "Why march us all the way out here for three Mavericks?" 

"You think this is a trap?" Miaka asked. 

"Smells like one, but why? Who would do this to us?" 

"We got these orders from Sigma himself," Rei said. 

"How trustworthy is he though?" Key wondered. "The strongest of us all? I'm worried what would happen if he went nuts." 

"Sigma would never go nuts," Shinji said. "He's the doc's best design!" 

Key said nothing, remembering that Forte too was another doctor's best design. 

Forte had also betrayed his master. 

Miaka circled higher. "Still nothing... wait." 

"What?" Key demanded. 

"I'm not sure what. It's a blank spot according to sensors... too blank. I sense life." 

"Where?" 

"Actually... there's little blank spots like that near... every hunter group..." 

"Oh, shit!" Key raised his arm cannons. "Show yourselves!" 

The Mavericks were happy to oblige him. There were at least a hundred of them that she could see. Her group was surrounded. 

"Key!" she shouted. She folded her wings and fell into a dive. What she hoped to accomplish, she didn't know. She just knew she wanted to protect Key. 

Key was busy fighting off two reptilian Reploids. Shinji was freaking out, while Rei was calmly blasting away at them. Miaka realized she was building up a lot of speed and flared her wings to slow herself. Her wings sliced through Key's attackers, cutting them in half and effectively killing her speed. She had   
no time to be impressed with herself, for her wings instantly vanished. 

"Don't send them away now!" Key snapped. 

"I didn't!" she answered. "Someone's taken them!" 

A moment later, the rest of her armor vanished. Key was not happy. At that point, Shinji screamed. Key and Miaka whirled, expecting to see Shinji being horribly killed. But instead, he was pointing upwards at an incoming dragon-type. He passed out a moment later. 

The dragon saw Key and Miaka and made a dive for them. Miaka tried to muster the control to attack, but her fear distracted her. Key interposed himself, but the dragon knocked him aside with one arm. It reared back and struck at her, sinking its teeth into her shoulder. She screamed as the bones shattered in the   
Reploid's jaws. Reflexively, she managed a minor blast. Only enough to annoy the dragon, unfortunately. It advanced on her again, this time ripping the limb off.   


Zero and Agile were waiting anxiously for the Aoi's return. Agile paced while Zero threw pencils at the ceiling and X. X sat in a chair and wondering why Agile was so agitated. Dr. Cain was off getting drunk. Agile was about to complain when he heard Sigma's voice over the intercom. 

"Attention Hunters," he said, sounding rather bored. "Unit Aoi has met with heavy resistance in the outlying areas. All units dispatch immediately." 

Agile raced at full speed to his quarters to retrieve his armor. He was back at Zero's side in a minute. 

"X, you stay here," Zero ordered. "You're not going to want to see this." 

"I'm going too if Miaka's in trouble!" 

"Nonsense," Agile snapped. "She's fine. That armor will protect her from anything." 

"What about Key?" X protested. "Somebody has to help him too!" 

"Fine, fine, I warned you," Zero said impatiently. "Let's move!" 

The three of them used the teleporter to get there instantaneously. Instantly they were hit by the stench of death. Most of the human Hunters were either dead or almost there. The Reploids weren't faring well either. The blasted ground was stained red and black, littered by parts and limbs. X's green eyes were filling with tears, but no one noticed. Agile's scanner eyes picked up the worst news immediately. 

"Dear God," he said, "it's a dragon type!" 

Zero growled. "Let's take that one first. X, you help find the survivors and get them to Salubri NOW." 

Agile took off at full speed, leaving Zero in the dust. He was madly scanning for Miaka, but she was not in the air as he expected. He found two readings close to her norm. One was on the dragon. He looked up, wishing he could just see for the millionth time. 

"Zero," he said impatiently, "The dragon. He has something biological on him. What is it?" 

The answer came through his helmet communicator, as Zero had yet to catch up. 

"You don't want to know." 

"Yes, I do. I'm looking for Miaka!" 

".... He has her arm." 

Agile's mind went cold. It was the same cold stillness that preceded his madness before. He searched for the other reading of her and found it near a mostly de-energized Key's. He dashed, his fear increasing his blinding speed. He arrived in four seconds. Key was looking about as beaten up as he had when Zero and Miaka found him. He was desperately trying to protect an unconscious Miaka. 

Agile's eyes flashed a bloody red. Whatever was once Agile was gone now, replaced by only one thought. 

Kill.   


When Sigma came to survey the battlefield, he found dead silence, save Salubri's medical team. All of the Aoi had been cut down, except for Key, Miaka, Shinji, and Desmond, a weird little human Hunter who was miraculously unharmed. 

Every last Maverick was dead as well, most of them bearing shocked expressions and multiple saber wounds. He eventually came to Agile, who was cradling Miaka in his arms as Salubri worked on her. His lilac armor was painted red with her blood. Agile did not move. Zero stood beside them, his expression somber. X was gone, having taken Key back to Headquarters. 

"Salubri," Sigma said. "This one is as good as dead. Leave her." 

"No," Agile snapped, looking up for once. 

"That is a direct order." 

"Don't let her die," Agile said, his optics brighter red. "That's a direct order." 

Salubri, for her part, was ignoring them both. 

"You dare challenge me?" Sigma bellowed. 

Agile gently laid Miaka on the bloody ground and rose. "I do not recognize the authority of a monster who would condemn an innocent to death." 

Sigma drew a two handed green saber. "So be it." 

"Hey!" Zero shouted. "Don't fight here. Salubri's busy!" 

Sigma ignored him and charged Agile, who was forced to take a hit to protect Miaka. He barely felt the bite of the saber. He could care less about his own pain. He used his speed to ram Sigma, knocking the massive reploid back a few yards. Then he burst into a flurry of motion, his red saber buzzing as he whipped it through the air with supernatural speed. Sigma could only block half of them, the other half cutting deep into his armor. He decided the only way to end this would be brute force. He reared back, preparing to deliver a blow hard enough to make a sizeable dent in Agile's chestplate. He saw a red blur for a fraction of a second, and suddenly the hand he intended to break Agile with was laying on the ground. The tip of Agile's saber was also at his throat. 

"I won't kill you," Agile said evenly. "I don't want to take your position, either. But if you ever threaten her life again, I'll do both. Do you understand?" 

Sigma growled, but Agile had him. There was no way he could match that speed and passion. "Fine," he snapped, and teleported away. 

Great would be his revenge against Agile. 

_"This is the hour, this is our land_   
_We found the power in our brother's hand."_   
_-Miss Saigon_ _Opening song "Flying" by Garnet Crow_


End file.
